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Dear friends,

Well, I’m back from retreat! It was a wonderful time away from the normal routine of ministry, work, and the world. This is the second year that I’ve committed to fully disconnecting while on retreat – no phone, not social media, no keeping up on email or news. 10/10 – I highly recommend it! For one thing, it is quite honestly the only time that I am guaranteed the freedom to do such a thing! But it also brings home how much time I spend browsing the internet, reading social media & the news, and otherwise distracting myself from quiet time, prayer, and sitting with my own thoughts & feelings. Though the retreat is over, minimizing or even eliminating some of those distractions is clearly something worth doing on an ongoing basis.

Another lesson I am learning – albeit painfully slowly – is that I probably shouldn’t stack the weekend I return with events! My goodness, but did we have a lot going on Saturday and Sunday. Meeting with the pastoral council, parishioners, and then confessions & Mass on Saturday. In addition to the normal Sunday schedule, we had a signature drive for I-2081, a volunteer invitation for Saint Vincent de Paul’s Christmas basket program, a bake sale from the Women’s Group, AND four baptisms!

Is it too soon to go on retreat again? 😏

But seriously, it is wonderful to be back and fully into the swing of things. And while there is a lot of busy-ness going on, I would love for you to mark your calendars for some lighter fare: Advent movie nights! Starting on Friday, December 1st, I’m hoping to have several movie nights leading up to Christmas – I’m looking at December 1st, 15th, and 22nd (the 8th is a holy day of obligation, so no movies that night!). There will be a poll for the last two movie nights, but I can already tell you that December 1st’s movie will be Last Holiday – easily the best Christmas movie to come out in a long time. Consider coming to one (or all!) of the movie nights – even if its not a retreat, we can all use a little time away from the crazy of the world.

In the meantime, rest assured of my prayers. May you have a wonderful week.

yours in Christ,
Father Maurer

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November 13 – Today is the memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 1887 she asked permission to be a missionary to China – but was instead encouraged to go to the United States. Although her work started in New York, she ended up founding 67 (!) missionary institutions to serve the sick & poor. Read more about her at the Cabrini National Shrine website.

November 15 – What makes a saint a ‘great’? Though that has never been formally defined, Saint Albert the Great (whose memorial is today) was so well regarded that even before his death, he was so considered! Named by Pope Pius XII as patron of enthusiasts of the natural sciences, he helped affirm the truth that there is no contradiction to be found in faith and science. Aleteia has a lovely article about him (with links to further reading, for those interested).

November 16 – To the surprise of no one, any saint who is consistently portrayed with cats is going to pique my curiosity a little more than normal. Today’s memorial of Saint Gertrude (also called ‘the great’, interestingly enough) celebrates a saint whose devotion to Christ led her to great personal fervor. As for the cats reference, well, read about that (and her more important characteristics) at US Catholic’s website.

November 18 – Following up the more significant dedication last week, today is the memorial of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter & Paul. These two basilicas, though lesser in stature to the Lateran Basilica, are nonetheless important in their own right. It is fitting that the first pope and the greatest apostle – both martyred in Rome – should each have a basilica commemorating their faith in Christ. Read about this memorial and the basilicas it honors at UCatholic.

By Church law, priests are obliged to make a retreat each year and so I am away this week. Rest assured of my prayers for you – please say a pray for me too, that the Lord may do as He wills with this time.

yours in Christ,
Father Maurer

Can you believe that Ordinary Time is almost over?!? It seems like summer was just a few days ago – but recent rain & cold weather has certainly confirmed that fall is here, with winter not too far off! And there’s certainly plenty to enjoy of the season: the bright colors of leaves on trees, the taste of fall flavors (why yes, I will have a pumpkin spice latte, thank you!), and the contrast of crispy air outside with warm fires indoors.

Fall also means fall reading, and recently I had the opportunity to visit a used bookstore for just that purpose. I hadn’t dug into a good series in a while and I was well overdue for a good story. I was delighted to find all three books of a trilogy by one of my favorite authors, Mercedes Lackey. The stories – the Owl Mage trilogy – is set in her world of Valdemar, though later in the chronology. I finished it this last weekend and am greatly anticipating delving into the world she (and her co-authors) have created.

One of the things I especially appreciate about reading is how it introduces me to the interior life of others. How characters process their thoughts & feelings, interact with each other, and grow in the face of various challenges or struggles is often a source of inspiration for consider how I could do so better. Of the authors I enjoy, Lackey’s writing consistently offers this opportunity. One of my favorite series of hers is The Obsidian Mountain trilogy, which I heartily recommend!

Back out here in the exterior world, we’re coming up on a week full of wonderful celebrations. Along with my neighbors, I’ll be be ready for trick or treaters this Tuesday – it is always neat to see the various costumes of enthusiastic children (and their patient parents!). Wednesday has us celebrating All Saints day (from which Halloween – ‘All Hallows Eve’ – gets its name), but it is the celebration of All Souls on Thursday that has a particularly special place in my heart. The candlelight service at 6:30 pm is a high point at the tail end of the liturgical year, when we will gather together in the flickering light to pray for our beloved dead. Though a sober celebration, it is one full of hope, as we commemorate those whom the Lord has called to Himself.

As we come to the close of the liturgical year, may we together consider both our interior lives and join together in exterior prayer & worship! Know that you are in my thoughts and among my prayers daily.

yours in Christ,
Father Maurer

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November 1 – The Solemnity of All Saints, a holy day of obligation, marks the beginning of the end of the liturgical year. Our attention is (rightly!) drawn to our eternal reward: union with the Lord and His saints in heaven. Though we know the names of many of them, we don’t know all of them – thus we have a day dedicated to honoring everyone in heaven (all saints!). At Saint Mark parish, we’ll be celebrating Mass at 9:30 am and at 6:30 pm – come join us as we praise and ask for the intercession of all the saints!

November 2 – The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) is a specially venerated day in the liturgical year. So highly does the Church value prayer for the dead that She gives all priests special permission to exceed the normal limit of two Masses per day, allowing for three Masses. All Catholics are not only invited to pray for the dead but have the opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence on behalf of themselves or the souls in purgatory. Read more about it at Relevant Radio.

November 3 – Today is the memorial of Saint Martin de Porres, the first black saint of the Americas. He is the patron saint of social justice and race relations – virtues we certainly need more of in our modern time & society! Read more about him at the Vatican News website.

November 4 – Today we celebrate Saint Charles Borromeo, archbishop of Milan and a cardinal. Highly intelligent, he became a doctor of both civil and canon law at the age of 21 and was ordained a bishop at the age of 27. But his greatest asset was his dedication to the interior life – and his desire for the reformation of the Church and her clergy. Read more at Franciscan Media.